Students Connect with Nature and Community

From hiking to rock climbing to kayaking, students of all ages enjoyed enhanced nature outings this year thanks to the school’s new Outdoor Classroom initiative. Parents and the community at-large also benefited from innovative educational programming, hearing lectures by renowned authors and attending documentary film screenings on environmental issues. Marking its first anniversary, the Outdoor Classroom builds on the school’s nature-rich curriculum, providing grants, teacher support, and community education. It is gearing up for an exciting second year by helping launch the school’s new summer camp in June.

“I am thrilled with the reception of the Outdoor Classroom by our students and the community,” said coordinator Amy Belkora. “The funds support our students’ more frequent access to nearby nature and have already made a significant impact across the grades on our children’s quality time outdoors.”

Most recently, the Outdoor Classroom sponsored a series of outings for students in the High School’s History of Architecture class. Seniors set out by bus, bike, and foot to explore the City’s rooftop gardens, living alleys, and sustainable buildings, hearing from architects, city planners, and environmental experts along the way. Ongoing area habitat restoration projects at and around the high school are also supported; and water plants and willows are being grown for use in high school basketry classes.

At the grade school, fourth and seventh graders enjoyed guided kayaking in Point Reyes, complementing their studies of marine mammals, waterfowl, waterways, and early settlers. A fifth grade trip to Pinnacles included an additional day of guided rock climbing and botany exploration. Gear for expanded nursery exploration and grade school games at the Presidio was also provided through grants.

Throughout the year, students got the opportunity to meet with experts in the field, from foresters in the Presidio to city planners who design living alleys. Grateful for the outpouring of community support, Amy Belkora noted that “our students are inspired by people in the environmental community who generously share their expertise and passion about the natural world.”

The Outdoor Classroom assembled an impressive list of public speakers; parents were invited to attend a lecture by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, and the school hosted a public lecture by David Sobel, author of Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities. The community was also encouraged to attend a screening of Symphony of the Soil, a documentary that explores soil as the foundation of life on earth.

The Outdoor Classroom Committee is made possible by a grant from the Seed Fund and generous financial support from the school community. For more information, please contact Mitch Mitchell at mmitchell@sfwaldorf.org or Amy Belkora at abelkora@sfwaldorf.org.

The Outdoor Classroom Committee includes leaders and innovators in the environmental/sustainability
community.

Many thanks to our Parent/Board Members:Damien Raffa, Education and Volunteer Program Manager at the Presidio Trust (7th grade parent)Kyle Macdonald, Founder of the Outdoors Empowered Network and Founder,
CEO of Bay Area Wilderness Training (2nd and 5th grade parent)Alison Sant, Partner in the Studio for Urban Projects, President of the Seed Fund (Board Member, Kindergarten and 2nd grade parent)